St. Rita High School Wins First State Baseball Championship

St. Rita Mustangs team celebrate their historic win

In a game that will be remembered for generations, the St. Rita Mustangs claimed the school's first-ever IHSA Class 3A State Baseball Championship on June 13, defeating Triad 12–11 in eight exciting innings. The road to the title was anything but easy: after leading 11–4 through five innings, St. Rita saw Triad rally to tie the game in the seventh. They were aided by an umpire ruling that nullified what appeared to be the final out and extended the contest. Following an hour-long rain delay, Vinny Stubitsch delivered the championship-winning sacrifice fly in the eighth inning to score JJ Quinlan and seal the victory. Head coach John Nee, speaking to the Chicago Sun-Times, credited the team's unity: "They believed in something bigger than themselves." The Mustangs finished 30–12 on the season. It was a hard-fought, historic triumph for the entire St. Rita community that has been covered by local and national publications including the Sun-Times and Sports Illustrated.